In a pivotal milestone for global technology governance, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two landmark artificial intelligence bills into law on September 9, 2026: SB 813 and AB 1405. The new legislation creates a state-level safety commission and an independent auditor registry, establishing a blueprint that could shape how AI is regulated across the United States.
Inside SB 813: The AI Standards & Safety Commission
Authored by State Senator Jerry McNerney, SB 813 creates the California Artificial Intelligence Standards and Safety Commission. Unlike earlier punitive proposals that sparked fierce tech lobbying, SB 813 focuses on building collaborative, industry-vetted safety standards:
- Voluntary Safety Frameworks: Drafting standardized benchmarks for frontier model capability testing before public deployment.
- Catastrophic Risk Thresholds: Defining measurable indicators for autonomous agent power-seeking, cybersecurity risks, and self-replication hazards.
- Cross-Sector Collaboration: Bringing together academic researchers, civil liberties organizations, and frontier lab safety engineers to harmonize safety definitions.
AB 1405: Certified AI Risk Auditor Registry
Authored by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, AB 1405 tackles the critical challenge of AI accountability by creating an official AI Risk Auditor Registry.
Historically, AI companies evaluated their own models internally or hired private red-teaming consultants without verified credentials. Under AB 1405:
- Independent risk auditing firms must meet state verification standards to receive certification.
- Auditors are tasked with evaluating model alignment, training dataset integrity, and emergency pause mechanisms.
- The registry provides public visibility into which organizations possess legitimate credentials to inspect frontier models.
Why Anthropic and OpenAI Endorsed the Laws
Unlike previous contentious legislative battles, both major frontier AI research organizations publicly supported the new laws:
Anthropic announced its endorsement in August 2026, stating that the world "would benefit from the industry adopting a lawful, verifiable way to work together to pace how we release powerful models."
OpenAI voiced official support just hours before the signing ceremony. Chris Lehane, OpenAI's Chief of Public Affairs, noted that the company "will advocate for compatible international approaches to measuring capabilities, managing risk, and preserving human control."
Governor Newsom's Call for Federal Standards
During the signing, Governor Newsom highlighted the balance between encouraging technical innovation and protecting public welfare:
"The concerns raised in recent incidents reinforce what California has long recognized: artificial intelligence holds extraordinary promise, but it must be developed and deployed with meaningful safeguards to protect the public."
Newsom also urged the United States Congress and federal regulators to step forward with uniform, nationwide regulations, warning that a fragmented patchwork of 50 state laws could complicate compliance for emerging startups.
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